I know we’re in the middle of CES 2022, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the tech world just comes to a halt outside of that event. As a matter of fact, more so than ever, there are interesting things going on outside the walls of the CES 2022 confines this week. Though Acer had some nice announcements at the yearly tech show – including a very, very interesting new Chromebook in the Spin 513 – they also have a few Chromebooks announced last fall that are edging closer to release.
Revealed back in October, the Acer Chromebook Spin 514, Chromebook 515, Chromebook 514, and Chromebook 314 were all shown off a bit as a part of Acer’s Global Press Conference. Though the Chromebook 515 and 314 are fairly standard updates to already-existing devices, the Spin 514 and Chromebook 514 are both very interesting, each in their own particular way.
Acer Chromebook Spin 514
The Spin 514 is a bit of a visual departure for Acer and comes packed to the gills with high end specs, a gorgeous design, and very minimal bezels. With the landing page now live, we at least know a few of the configurations and pricing for this device and they are right around what you’d expect for a Chromebook that comes with 11th-gen Intel processors and a top-notch build. $749 gets you in the door with an 11th-gen Core i3, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while the upgrade to the Core i5, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage moves you up to $899. You can check out that landing page here.
Kompanio 828-powered Acer Chromebook 514
For the Chromebook 514, the most interesting part of the equation is the MediaTek Kompanio 828 processor. It is a yet-unproven SoC that we’re just as eager to check out as we are the newly-announced Kompanio 1380 in the Acer Chromebook Spin 513. The Kompanio 828 is a more price-conscious chip, but should outperform the existing Snapdragon 7c if early benchmarks are to be believed.
This device is definitely in the more affordable range, utilizing aluminum only for the lid and showing up with a massive lower bezel. Options include a backlit keyboard, a glass trackpad and a touchscreen. Assuming the Kompanio 828 keeps up, this could be a nice, affordable option from Acer as it starts at only $429. You can check out the landing page for this one right here.
The other two Chromebooks from the October event are far less notable, but you can check out the landing pages for both the Chromebook 515 here and the 314 here if you would like a bit more info. Neither of these devices have official prices listed on Acer’s site, but the original press release had the Chromebook 515 starting at $649.99 and the Chromebook 314 starting at $499.99.
With these four devices now surfacing and the announcements from CES 2022, Acer is set to deliver quite a few solid Chromebooks in the first half of the year. With what feels like a new device for every price range and every use case, I think they’ll sell quite a few Chromebooks in the coming year if supply chains can keep up. Between us, though, I’m most anticipating the Chromebook Spin 513, the Spin 514, and the standard 514. Hopefully we’ll have them all in the office before long.
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